S'moresey Ice Cream Cake

This is one of the cakes that inspired Benjamin's birthday cake.
You can find the complete recipe here:

http://www.lhj.com/recipe/ice-cream/smore-sensation/

For Benjamin's birthday cake I adjusted the Ladies Home Journal recipe for S'more Sensation.
I call this S'moresey Ice Cream Cake. That's right. I said S'moresey. Umm. S'mores. Chocolate. Graham Cracker. Marshmallow. Toasted. Ice Cream. and Cake.
Drooling?
Of course you are!
So let's begin!

Use the food processor to grind up your graham crackers and melted butter. Reserve 1/3 of the mixture for later. The other 2/3 need to go in a 9" springform pan. I like to dump mine in the middle and then press the crumbs to the edges first and then the bottom. It seems to come out pretty evenly that way.

Stash that in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This is when I made my 8" round layer of chocolate cake. You can make the cake at any time before step 4. It does need to cool before adding it to the pan. I used our "Very Best Chocolate Cake" recipe and cut it in half. I'll post that recipe another time.
Spread one jar of fudge sauce over the crumbs. Freeze again. Meanwhile soften your chocolate ice cream. I picked Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Add in about 1/2- 3/4 cup of marshmallows to your ice cream and then layer that over the fudge sauce.

Next layer is the chocolate cake, topped with another layer of fudge sauce. Sprinkle the remainder of graham crumbs over the fudge sauce. Then the softened vanilla ice cream. Freeze the cake in between each layer.

Cover the top of your cake with the mini marshmallows. Put oven rack about 6" below broiler and heat. Broil the cake for 1 to 2 minutes until toasted, then return to freezer. When firm cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hours or up to 3 days.

Just before serving break Hershey bar in pieces and each piece in half. Decorate the top of cake with the Hershey pieces.

S'moresey Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients
3 packages graham crackers (27 rectangles - usually one box)
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 12 ounce jars chocolate fudge sauce
1 quart chocolate ice cream
2 cups mini marshmallows

1 8" round layer of chocolate cake
3/4 quart vanilla ice cream

1 Hershey's candy bar

Directions
1. Prepare your chocolate cake. You can use a cake mix and do 2 layers or 1 layer and the rest in cupcakes for another use. If you have an extra layer of cake you can crumble it and save it for cake balls, or freeze it to have a treat another day. Or make half a chocolate cake recipe.

2. Grind graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Add melted butter and blend. Press 2/3 of the mixture evenly into a 9-inch springform pan, coating the bottom and 2 inches up the sides. Save remaining crumbs for step 4. Freeze until solid, about 30 min.
3. Spread half of the fudge sauce over the crust; refreeze. Meanwhile, soften chocolate ice cream and stir in 3/4 cup marshmallows. Spread mixture over fudge; freeze until firm.

4. Put in layer of chocolate cake. Spread remaining fudge over cake, and sprinkle remaining 1/3 of graham cracker crumbs and freeze until firm. Spread softened vanilla ice cream on top of cake; freeze solid.
5. Place oven rack 6 inches from broiler; heat broiler. Top cake with remaining marshmallows. Place under broiler 1 to 2 min until marshmallows are toasted, then return to freezer. When firm, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 5 hrs or up to 3 days.
6. To serve, wrap a warm, damp towel around the pan, then release outer ring. Break each Hershey piece in half and decorate top of cake with the chocolate bar. Use a spatula to remove dessert from pan. Makes 10 servings.

Our 2-year-old didn't have any trouble finishing off his slice of chocolate goodness.

We ended up eating half the cake for his birthday, our family of 5 and Grammy and Papa. We sent our chocolate-loving Grammy home with an extra slice. Then we called our neighbors and shared 5 slices with them. The last slice was enjoyed by the birthday boy a few days later, in his room with the door shut, so that none of the other little kiddles came screaming for ice cream!

HUGE Tortillas

Kannon brought these tortillas home after a shopping trip with his mother. I believe he found them at a store called 'Cash 'n Carry'.

In this picture they are set on top of my 9x13 pan which is completely covered. That pan is on top of a cookie sheet. The black griddle in the back is what we usually cook our quesadillas on. It fits a normal sized tortilla shell perfectly. That should give you an idea of their monstrous size!

We came up with some fun ways to use them. With reconstituted refried beans and cheese.
Which I then took and fried like a Taco Bell burrito!

I made pizzas with them. I think I doubled the tortilla. Two tortillas for one pizza, with some extra cheese in between them. These were spread with Ranch salad dressing, sprinkled with chopped tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. They were pretty yummy.

What would you do with a King-size Tortilla!?

Harvest Soup and Biscuits

We tried a bit of this tonight. Kannon thought it was wonderful! I think it would be nice to have in our food storage since we don't have a cow.

It really wasn't bad at all. Very much like a smooth butter in a tub from the refrigerated section. Kannon's mom gave us this one. She found it in the Elko, NV Walmart. We don't have it here, but we're still trying to find out how to order some. You can read more about it at www.mrewholesalers.com For dinner I made a Harvest Soup from my Taste of Home's Quick Cooking 2004 cookbook. I have 5 of their cookbooks and absolutely love them. When I asked what else I should serve, Kannon said biscuits. I kind of knew he'd request that!

Ben and Sarah were quick to discover the Acorn Squash. It wasn't that noticeable, but they freaked out. I made them each try some and then they picked around it. I guess next time I'll leave it out, or better yet, puree the squash and add it back in!


Joshua, though, couldn't get enough. Some days we just can't get him to eat his dinner. He plays with it and finally gets to where he's throwing it and then he's done. But tonight he silently ate 2 bowls of it and half a biscuit before heading excitedly to the tub for a bath. (Because we can't have dinner without a bath right afterward!)

Ben chowing down on his biscuit sandwich. He spread the middle of it with sugar-free grape jelly. I bought some awesome biscuit cutters from Pampered Chef. They have a really large cutter; 4 inches. We like to make ours that big!

And here's the last of the soup. Mmmm. I ate til I was full!

Harvest Soup

1 pound lean ground beef

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3-1/2 cups water

2-1/4 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes

1 cup chopped red potatoes

1 cup chopped peeled acorn squash

2 tsp. beef bouillon granules

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

In large saucepan, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain well. Add the water, potatoes, squash, bouillon, bay leaves, chili powder, pepper, allspice and cloves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add the tomatoes. Cook and stir until heated through. Discard bay leaves. Yield: 6 servings.

1-1/2 cups equals 241 calories

Food for Susan

A few weeks ago I was talking to my sister, Susan, about food. She said they were going to try and eat at home more often which would require her to plan and prepare. I thought I'd give her a few ideas that are simple to prepare, healthy, and oh, so yummy!

Well, this first one wasn't as yummy as I thought it would be. But, not too shabby either. It was one I made around Valentine's day in an attempt to have a healthy treat. I found the recipe in my "YOU on a Diet" book by Roizen and Oz. Here's the recipe:

"Dive into the Dark Side" Bars

1 cup toasted walnuts

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries

5 brown rice rice cakes, broken into chunks

2 Tbsp. agave nectar

2 Tbsp. orange juice

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

5 oz. 70% dark bittersweet chocolate bar, broken into chunks (I used 60% cacao chips)

5 Tbsp. fat-free milk or orange juice

In a food processor chop walnuts. Then add raisins and cranberries, chop. Then add rice cakes, chop. Add agave nectar, orange juice, vanilla, and cinnamon; process until mixture holds together. Transfer mixture to an 8-inch-square baking dish; cover with plastic wrap and press into a firm, even thickness. Remove plastic wrap.

Combine chocolate and milk over a double boiler of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Spread chocolate evenly over rice cake mixture, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cut into 12 bars. 110 calories per bar.

It tasted pretty good. The chocolate wasn't as sweet as we've been used to. And they didn't hold together super well. I'd like to find a way to fix that. If you try this and find the answer to the crumbles, let me know!

This is one of my favorite foods. So easy to make.

For our family of 5 I browned 1 pound of 93/7 hamburger. Sauteed 8 oz of mushrooms. Chopped about 4 Roma tomatoes. The kids don't like the feta cheese, but you just layer them on your plate and eat. The combination of hot and cold and the flavors of each ingredient are incredible! For this meal I also microwaved some frozen veggies and we had bread with butter. I got this from Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution Menus.

And another simple, colorful and delicious meal.

Chicken breast

Sweet potato or yam

Romaine lettuce salad

I baked our chicken breasts sprinkled with season salt at 350* for about 30 minutes (check for pink). The sweet potatoes are peeled, then tossed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt pepper and basil. Bake until tender.

We like to eat our fries with a mayo mixture. I know that's not the healthiest choice but it makes them so delicious!
About 1/2 cup mayo

2 tsp. lime juice

2 minced garlic cloves

Stir together and dip those fries!

Chocolate Chippers

Growing up, we had a recipe that we always used for chocolate chip cookies. I inherited the box of recipes and kept a few of them. Of course this one is a prized possession. You can see how well it's been loved. It used to be white and I've had to tape it so that it doesn't fall apart more than it already is! Enjoy this family favorite of ours.

Chocolate Chippers

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened (butter makes the cookies crisper)

1/2 c. shortening (sometimes we just double the margarine and leave out the shortening)

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl cream margarine, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a bowl stir together dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture till blended.

Stir in chocolate pieces. Bake in 375* oven for 8-10 minutes (our oven takes 12-14 minutes). Cool and enjoy. Recipe says makes about 6 dozen cookies, we get about 3 dozen - I must make them big!

Pizzaroni

I threw this one together with what we had at home - it was a hit!

2 cups whole wheat macaroni noodles, cooked and drained

2 small packs of mini pepperoni

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can tomato soup

1 egg

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together - I just used the pot I had cooked the macaroni in. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350*

You can add anything to this! Make it more pizza-y. Add olives, mushrooms, green peppers, sausage, hamburger - the skies the limit. But it was great!

Cinnamon Rolls

When Kannon and I had been married just over a year, my visiting teacher brought us some cinnamon rolls. He asked for the recipe and I've been perfecting them over the years. He asks me to make them for work every once in awhile and I sell them at every yard sale we have. I sent one to school for Ben's teacher and she oohed and aahed over them as well. We love them at our house - perfect with a cream cheese frosting.

Kim's Cinnamon Rolls

3 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 tsp. sugar
3 c. milk, scalded (heat til almost boiling)
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. salt
3 beaten eggs
8-10 cups flour (I usually do about 11)

Put yeast and tsp. of sugar in warm water in 2 qt. pitcher and set aside. In large bowl, pour scalded milk over butter, sugar and salt. Stir until butter and sugar are melted/dissolved. Let cool. Add eggs, beat on low speed of mixer. Add half of flour. Beat. Add yeast mixture. Beat. Add rest of the flour to make a soft dough - add raisins if wanted. Let rise 1 hour. Roll dough into 2 large circles, spread with soft butter. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar on it. Roll up. Slice about 1 1/2 inches thick with thread. Place on baking sheets. Rise 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours. Bake at 350* for 20 mins.

Cream cheese frosting:

1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup softened margarine or butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2- 4 3/4 c. powdered sugar

In a bowl beat together cream cheese, margarine and vanilla till light and fluffy. Gradually add half the powdered sugar, beating well. Gradually beat in enough remaining powdered sugar to make frosting of spreading consistency. Store in refrigerator.